Overcoming the Darkness

Matthew Dodd

Weekend Messages

April 9, 2016

Darkness and Light are powerful themes in the Bible and through these themes God has been communicating His message to us all. Today, we are going to discover what God has been saying and ultimately learn how to overcome darkness in our own lives.

1. At a very young age, our daughter knows there’s a difference between light and darkness.

2. Though we tell her, “don’t be afraid of the dark” she finds comfort in the light and in turning on all of the lights in our home!

3. Darkness and Light are powerful themes in the Bible and through these themes God has been communicating His message to us all.

4. Today, we are going to discover what God has been saying and ultimately learn how to overcome darkness in our own lives.

READ – Exodus 10:21-29

Context

1. God was on the move. Israel had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. God was ready to bring His people into the Promised Land.

2. But there was a problem. Pharaoh wouldn’t let his slave labor go!

3. So God answered Pharaoh’s stubbornness with a series of plagues, 10 in all, which decimated their livelihood and lives!

4. The purpose of God’s plagues against Egypt:

a. To show Israel, Yahweh is God and without peer.

b. To show Egypt, Yahweh is God and their gods were false.

c. To show Pharaoh, Yahweh is God and he was not!

5. The plagues can be divided into 3 groups of 3: (Progression!)

a. Plagues 1-3 brought discomfort

b. Plagues 4-6 brought destruction

c. Plagues 7-9 brought dread

6. Each plague was preceded by a warning except 3, 6, and 9.

7. As the plagues progressed, God began to make a distinction between Egypt and Israel; between the core beliefs of Egypt and the faith of Israel.

I. Whose Side Are You On? (21-23)

A. Flee from darkness (21-23a)

1. Listen to the description of this plague (21-22)

a. Suddenly the sun did not shine! No warning!

b. “A darkness which may be felt”

c. A “thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days”

ILLUS – Pursuit hike in the Ape Caves…

2. How did this plague impact the Egyptians? (23a)

a. “They did not see each other”

b. “nor did anyone rise from his place for three days”

ILLUS – Modern scholars say this plague was a common sandstorm that darkened Egypt for 3 days!

3. But the Bible is clear that this wasn’t your ordinary sandstorm which just happened to correspond with Moses confronting Pharaoh.

a. This darkness was a supernatural plague that filled everyone’s heart with a dreadful fear.

b. In fact, though this was the ninth plague it is listed first in Psalm 105, revealing how dreadful it was!

Psalm 105:28, “He sent darkness and made it dark; and they did not rebel against His words.”

APPL – Darkness, by definition, is the absence of light. In the Bible, darkness is symbolic of…Evil

John 3:19, “And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for
their deeds were evil.”

ILLUS – Light sensitivity after an eye examine (Dilated pupils!)

APPL – Men loved the darkness! How sensitive are you to darkness?

Dominion of Satan - poses as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14)

Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces
of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Associated with the eternal judgment of the lost

Matthew 25:30, “And cast out the worthless slave into outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

APPL – What did darkness mean to the Egyptians?

It meant their gods had been judged and defeated.

oRa – the chief god; sun god!

Pharaoh was also defeated since he was revered as the physical manifestation of Ra

So Egypt, as a kingdom, was devastated and doomed!

APPL – The darkness also forced the Egyptians to sit and think

They could not busy themselves with work

They could not run into the arms of another for comfort

They were alone with their thoughts. What were the Egyptians thinking? God was giving them a time to think about this question, “Whose side are you on?”

In the Bible, God allows people to experience darkness so that they have a chance to sit and think, to turn and repent!

Acts 9:8-9, “And Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they
brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”

B. Come into the Light (23b)

1. As I mentioned earlier, God made a distinction between the Egyptians and His people, Israel.

a. All of Egypt was in darkness

b. NOTICE: “But all the sons of Israel had light in

their dwellings”

2. Israel had light (Natural or Supernatural?)

a. Stay inside and enjoy fellowship; 3 day weekend

b. Stay inside and enjoy rest from labors

3. Light symbolizes all that is…

a. Good

Genesis 1:3-4, “Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the
light from the darkness.”

b. God’s Character - Holy

1 John 1:5, “And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at
all.”

c. God’s Word

Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.”

d. Jesus

John 8:12, “I am the light of the world’ he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

e. The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:23, “And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its
lamp is the Lamb.”

4. Why did Israel have light in their dwellings? Because God was with His people in the midst of the plague.

Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.”

APPL – If God is able to speak and bring light to creation then He knows those who belong to Him and is able to light their homes while
the rest of Egypt was in darkness!

Transition:

If God sees us as being distinctly different from the world because of our faith in Chris then we must be distinctly different in how we live our lives!

a. Worship God in the land (8:25-27)… but God requires separation from the world

b. Don’t go too far away (8:28)… don’t be a fanatic… get the best of both worlds (Don’t be Lukewarm!)

c. Only the men can go (10:7-11)… but faith involves the whole family!

d. Leave your possessions in Egypt (10:24)

APPL – Satan is continually looking for ways to bring us back into darkness and out of the Lord’s light

Sometimes he uses relationships or earthly treasures

Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

3. “And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord.”

a. All that we have comes from the Lord

b. All we have must be available to the Lord

c. NO COMPROMISE!

Ephesians 5:8, “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light”

Conclusion

What’s your story? Whose side are you on? Light or darkness?

Come to the Light. Come to Jesus, the Light of the world!

Walk in the Light.

Let your light shine!

Joshua 24:15, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Exodus 10:21-29 NASB

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may
be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23 They did
not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24 Then Pharaoh
called to Moses, and said, "Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you." 25 But
Moses said, "You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to the Lord our God. 26 Therefore, our livestock
too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the Lord our God. And until we arrive there, we
ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the Lord." 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Then
Pharaoh said to him, "Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!" 29 Moses said, "You are
right; I shall never see your face again!"